


To Kiss the Real You

by munarei



Category: Tales of Xillia, Tales of Xillia 2
Genre: M/M, makes some references to Soukyoku no Crossroads, nothing too big though i'd like to think haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-09
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-02-16 17:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2278563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/munarei/pseuds/munarei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“So uh. How about it?” </p><p>“How about what?” </p><p>"Weren't you interested in the slightest in how that must have felt like?" </p><p>A beat. </p><p>“…M-Maybe...”</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Kiss the Real You

**Author's Note:**

> Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive. - Eliphas Levi
> 
> Dedicated to my girlfriend for beating Xillia 2 as well as a really belated birthday present~~
> 
> Inspired by a tumblr post about alternate selves making out. :'D

Ever since he became friends with Ludger, Alvin had been tasked in helping the younger man in the destruction of one fragmented dimension to the next. It went without saying that he had certainly seen some of the more _depressing_ dimensions (like the one with his mother still alive in Elympios – that still hurt to remember).

 

 _Just once_ , he thinks to himself as he prepares himself to head into another dimension with Jude and Leia also accompanying Ludger, _once I want to go into a fractured dimension that doesn’t haunt me later._

 

With that cheerful plea in place, they head through.

 

They end up in Trigleph, but things seem…almost better in a way that surprises the rest of the party. The Trigleph they knew was only starting to revive again, thanks to the mana that Milla had dispersed via the dispelling of the schism. This place seemed so much more alive and booming.

 

“Maybe the spyrite research is actually completed here,” Jude says with a grin as he looks around to see if anyone is carrying around a tiny spyrite animal on their shoulders.

 

 _Leave it to the kid to think of the best possible solution_ , Alvin thought wryly, glancing in the kid’s direction. It would have been great to see that Jude’s research had finally come to fruition, but what would that mean for this dimension? Would it mean that it was several years into the future?

 

“Ah, hey, Jude look! I see someone with a spyrite!” Leia says with a smile, waving her hand towards the young woman who’s carrying a spyrite on her shoulder. “I’ll go ask her about the research, okay? I’ll be right back!” And like that, before anyone can stop her, she runs off, striking up a conversation with the young woman.

 

Before Ludger can say anything to the other two, he's tugged in a different direction by an insistent Elle who wants to look at a cat who looks an awful like Rollo, leaving Jude and Alvin alone.

 

The silence in between them stands still as Alvin rubs the back of his neck. When had it gotten so awkward between them? Had it really been only a year since their journey with the rest of their friends? Sure he had helped Jude before with that deal with Exodus and miniature Lance of Kresnik. The kid had saved his ass from getting hurt (and getting himself hurt in the process) a while ago, but they hadn’t really had the chance to really _talk_ what with Jude’s research and Alvin’s burgeoning business growing.

 

“So kid, how’ve you been?” Alvin starts to say as Jude’s eyes widen and he looks up from the paper he snagged from the newsstand nearby. He snorts at the wide eyed expression, shaking his head. “C’mon, lighten up a little. You look like I asked you to give up your research.”

 

Jude turns red at the teasing and shakes his head. “Sorry about that, I was just preoccupied.” He shifts on his feet as he looks up at Alvin again. “I’ve been alright. Busy, but alright. Research is pretty slow though in terms of progress.” The young doctor turns and looks around him though. “Seeing this is encouraging though. It makes me feel certain that I can make this a reality in the prime dimension.”

 

Alvin laughs and pats the small of Jude’s back. “That so kid? Good to hear you’re not giving up yet,” he says as out of the corner of his eyes, he spots a tuff of black hair that looks…oddly familiar, followed by brown hair that he _knows_ he recognizes.

 

Mainly because that head of hair was _his_ head of hair.

 

Jude blinks at his silence, following the older man’s gaze towards the pair that he spotted before turning another shade of bright red.

 

“…Jude,” Alvin says after a moment, his eyes wide, “Tell me I’m seeing things.”

 

“I-I don’t think I can,” the younger man replied, his face growing all the more crimson at each passing moment.

 

Well. This was awkward.

 

Somehow he had managed to catch this fractured dimension’s version of himself making out with fractured _Jude_.

 

To his ever growing surprise, he finds himself _completely_ okay with this idea too.

 

The pair seems to be in a very intimate conversation as he pulls Jude away so that they don’t get caught, meeting up with both Ludger and Leia to discuss what they saw.

 

While Leia confirms that yes, spyrites are in consistent usage and spyrixs were no longer the main source of energy, Alvin continues to steal glances at Jude’s face. The red had subsided but he still looks embarrassed, rubbing at his cheek slowly.

 

“Hey, Jude, you okay?” Leia calls, her eyes wide with concern as Jude splutters and nods his head. “I get it, you’re overwhelmed by how your research is working out right?” she says, hand on her hip and grinning, “See? You can work out spyrites and how they work in our dimension too!”

 

This gets Jude to relax and smile at his oldest friend, grateful that she was there with them. “You’re right. I guess I’ve been too tightly wound up about the whole thing.”

 

Alvin snorts softly and folds his arms, a disapproving look on his face. “’Guess’ isn’t exactly the word I would use there kid.” This earns him a reproachful stare from Jude as he grins in response. The second he meets Jude’s eyes though, the doctor turns bright red and looks pointedly at the ground.

 

Ludger and Leia exchange looks with each other at that. Folding her arms, the reporter stares at Alvin, waiting for the former mercenary to cough up what he knew. Instead of answering her, Alvin just holds up his hands, loudly proclaiming he knew nothing.

 

Though both Ludger and Leia have their doubts about that, Jude insists they push on, trying to control the blush on his cheeks.

 

Soon enough, they find the catalyst and Ludger destroys the fractured dimension with his Chromatus. Though, not before Alvin glances back in the direction where he had spotted himself and fractured Jude before.

 

For the lack of better words, he was curious as to what it was like being with Jude.

 

He wasn’t going to lie (for once), it’s not like he didn’t feel attracted to the boy. Alvin was indebted to him for what he did only a year ago, for giving him a place to belong. But depressing thoughts aside, hell, Jude was just Jude and Alvin fully admits to himself as they return that he wouldn’t mind making out with Jude.

 

He shakes his head. More like he’d enjoy it, really.

 

 _Wow,_ Alvin groans inwardly, _I have it bad._

 

He stares at the now prime dimension, Trigleph surrounding them once more as Leia stares at both Alvin and Jude, loudly proclaiming that she would go with Ludger to procure lunch for the five of them and hauling Ludger off bodily.

 

Of course. They were alone. _Of course._

 

The former mercenary pauses then coughs, looking at Jude.

 

“So uh. How about it?”

  
  
“How about what?”

  
  
"Weren't you interested in the slightest in how that must have felt like?"

  
  
A beat.

  
  
“…M-Maybe...”

 

Jude covers his face with his hand as he glances up at him from the corner of his eyes time to time, his face red as a tomato. “It’s just I thought…well…I’m still a kid and you-!”

 

Alvin chuckles and draws him close, the pad of his thumb brushing against Jude’s lips gently which immediately silences the young doctor. “I’m what? A former mercenary turned savvy business man?”

 

That gets Jude to laugh. “Maybe not _savvy_ but...” he trails off, stealing a glance up at the older man as though wordlessly inviting him to try.

 

Alvin pretends to be wounded at the mild jab before he carefully cups Jude’s face in his hands and kisses him with a gentleness he wouldn’t have found in himself a year ago.

 

Then again, he never really expected to be where he was a year ago. When they pull apart, Jude grabs onto his suit jacket and pulls him back, Alvin grinning as he does.

 

Was he complaining? No. Though it’d be hard to explain just how they got together.

 

“How are we going to explain this?” he says through the kiss that had grown very heated _very_ quickly, “we saw our alternate selves making out with each other and we decided, hey that looks fun, let’s try?”

 

Jude just stares at him.

 

Alvin pulls him back for another kiss.


End file.
